Moving gate for hopper discharging flat articles of irregular thickness

ABSTRACT

In bookbinding apparatus a hopper accumulates a stack of books received from a binder with extra thick spines and discharges them to a book trimmer, the hopper having at its lower end an entrance through which a pusher drives a selected lower group of books out an exit. As a group of books exits a vertically reciprocating gate at the exit moves downwards from an upper position accommodating the extra thickness of the book spines to a lower position which allows only the selected group of books to pass out through the exit.

United States Patent 1191 Aspinwall Sept. 10, 1974 MOVING GATE FOR HOPPER 3,587,924 6/1971 DiOrio 221/251 DISCHARGING FLAT ARTICLES 0F IRREGULAR THICKNESS Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky [75] Inventor. Peter Aspmwall, Carlisle, Mass. Attorney, Agent or Firm james H. Grover [73] Assignee: Comstock & Wescott, Inc.,

I Cambridge, Mass. ABSTRACT [22] Flled' July 1973 In bookbinding apparatus a hopper accumulates a PP 378,374 stack of books received from a binder with extra thick spines and discharges them to a book trimmer, the

[52] s Cl 221/248 hopper having at its lower end an entrance through [51] Int. Cl. 59/06 which a pusher drives a selected lower group of books [58] Field of 's 221/248 251 268 out an exit. As a group of books exits a vertically re- I269. 214/8 5 F 5 ciprocating gate at the exit moves downwards from an upper position accommodating the extra thickness of he book s ines to a lower osition which allows on] [56] References Cited t p v p y the selected group of books to pass out through the UNITED STATES PATENTS exit. 1,614,363 1/1927 Hicks 221/248 3,442,200 5/1969 Babel 221/248 X 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED I V 3.834.582

FEM B|NDER- SPEED CHANGE nir NAILHEAD' BACKBONE IT\\LO MOVING GATE FOR HOPPERDISCHARGING FLAT ARTICLES OF IRREGULAR THICKNESS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many manufacturing and conveying systems generally flat articles such as packages, containers and books are accumulated in a hopper and then fed in stacked groups to a further destination. In book making, for example, books are received from a book binder operating at one rate, stacked in a hopper, and delivered to a book trimmer in small stacks or groups of a selected number of books at another rate. If the books were of uniform thickness vertically in the stack the selected number could simply be pushed as a group from the bottom of the hopper stack through a gate. A book overlying the selected group would tend to be drawn by friction along with the group but would be barred by the gate from leaving the hopper.

Books, containers, packages and like generally flat articles may, however, be irregular in thickness, individual articles having extra thick portions or protuberances. The backbone, spine or binding edge of a book may, by reason of additional glue thickness or stitching, have a greater dimension than the remaining width of the book. Similarly gate folded pages may increase the thickness of a particular portion of the book. When books with such extra thick portions are stacked, the cumulative height of the thick parts of the top book of a group above the stack can exceed one book thickness. Then if the gate is set to allowthe cumulative extra thickness of one group to clear the exit it will also allow an extra book overlying the lesser normal thickness of the group toride out on the normally thick por- STATEMENT OF INVENTION According to the invention apparatus for feeding stacked, generally flat sided articles having a portion of enlarged thickness in one dimension which. comprises a hopper for holding the articles stacked on said one dimension, the hopper having a fore wall with respect to the direction of feed and the wall having an exit at its lower end; a pusher movable to feed the lowest of the stacked articles out the exit in a group; a gate at the exit vertically reciprocable to vary the height of the exit; and drive means linking the pusher and gate to synchronize variation of the exit height as the pusher feeds a group of articles through the exit.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a book with an extra thick backbone.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of book making apparatus with a hopper according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the hopper of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION Shown in FIG. 1 is a book 1 which is mostly of uniform thickness but has a backbone 2 whose thickness is increased by binding glue between the leaves of the book. This extra thickness, known as a nailhead, is shown somewhat exaggerated.

In the bookmaking apparatus of FIG. 2 shinglelapped nailhead books 1 are conveyed to a hopper frame 5 on a belt 3 from a bookbinder which has applied the glue for the backbone 2 and usually a book cover. The books are stripped successively from the belt 3 by a kicker roll 4 and dropped on a stack in a hopper 6 having a rear wall' 7 and a fore wall 8. At the bottom of the rear wall 7 is an entrance 9 for a pusher 11 for ejecting a selected number or group-of books at the bottom of the stack through an exit 10 in the fore wall 8. After exitting, the group of books is fed from the hopper frame 5 by floatingrolls 15' to a belt 20 which carries the group to a machine for trimming the books in groups. The pusher is reduced by a cutaway portion 12 at its fore end to a height lower by less than one book thickness of the lower group of books, in this case three books 1A. The pusher is reciprocated forward: and rearwardly through the entrance 9 by a box cam 13 with a cam groove 14 in which rides a cam follower IS on a rod 16 connecting the cam and pusher l l. The box cam is driven through a speed change 17 by a motor 18 used for driving other parts of the apparatus, such as the kicker roll 4, at different speeds.

If each book were of uniform thickness and lying flat, the pusher would discharge only thethree lower books 1A whose backbones would just clear through the exit 10 as shown in FIG. 2. But, as shown in FIG. 3, when the extra thickness of the backbones of the books l-A have passed part way through the exit 10, the overlying book 1B may drop down on the normal thickness of the selected group of books 1A to a position where part or all of the overlying book 1B can clear the exit and be unwantedly drawn along by friction with the selected book. The unwanted book 18 can than jam the subsequent trimming operation or be mutilated'by the trimmer which is adjusted to accept only books in groups of three.

According to the present invention the exitting of unwanted books and like flat articles from a hopper is eliminated by providing a gate 21 which varies the height of the exit during discharge of each selected group. The gate 21 is positioned for vertical sliding by. a guide 22 and reciprocated by a rocker arm 23pivotted at 24 to the hopper frame 5, and pivotted to the reciprocating gate 21 at a vertically adjustable pivot 26. The rocker arm 23 has a follower 27- riding on. a cam wheel 28 joumalled on the hopper frame 5. The cam wheel 28 is connected to the box cam 13 by a linkage 29 which maintains a one-to-one speed ratio between the two cams. As shown in FIGS. 2 and3 the cams are timed or phased, for example by loosening a set screw 29 and angularly adjusting the gate cam 28, so thatthe pusher can advance the nailheads of the books through the raised gate 21. Then, when the nailheads have passed the gate 21 it is lowered by the wheel cam 28 to a position less than one normal book thickness above and usually to the normal thickness of the selected group 1A. As shown in FIG.'3 the lowered position of the gate 21 bars the overlying, unwanted book 18 from riding out with the selected group, 1A. The raised position of the gate 21 may be set by adjusting the rocker arm 23 to a higher or lower pivot26. The downward movement of the rocker arm 23 is adjustably limited by a stop screw 31 thread in a block 32 anchored on the frame 5. (FIG. 1)

it should be understood that the foregoing description is for illustration and that the invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, if the books were fed normal thickness first and nailheads last the synchronization of the pusher l1 and the hopper gate 21 would be reversed to raise the gate as the nailheads exitted.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding stacked, generally fiat sided articles having a portion of enlarged thickness and a portion of normal thickness in one dimension, comprismg:

a hopper for holding the articles stacked on said one dimension, the hopper having a fore wall with respect to the direction of feed and the wall having an exit at its lower end;

a pusher movable to feed the lowest of the stacked articles out the exit in a group;

a gate at the exit vertically reciprocable between two positions, one position opening the exit more than the dimension of enlarged thickness and another position less than the dimension of enlarged thickness but greater than the dimension of normal thickness of the article; and

drive means linking the pusher and gate including timing means cooperative with the pusher after movement by the pusher of an article into the exit but before movement by the pusher of an article out of the exit to adjust the gate between the two positions while an article is in the exit, so that the gate in one position allows feed through the exit of an article portion of enlarged thickness and in the other position obstructs feed of such enlarged thickness but allows feed of the portion of normal thickness so as to bar exitting of articles overlying article portions of normal thickness.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the timing means is adjustable.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the gate includes means for adjusting its upper position.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for limiting downward movement of the gate at an open position.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means to hold the gate open in one of its adjusted positions prior to operation of the timing means.

6. Apparatus for feeding a group of nailhead (2) books (1) from a vertical stack, comprising:

a vertical hopper (6) for holding the books in a stack of more than one group, the hopper having fore (8) and rear (7) walls with respect to the direction of feed of the books from the hopper, and the fore wall having an exit Ill at its lower end, the nailheads of the books being adjacent to the fore wall and exit;

a pusher (11) reciprocably moving under the rear wall periodically to engage a selected group (1A) of the lowermost books of the stack and feed the group, nailheads first, through the exit and under the gate;

a sliding gate (21) at the exit vertically reciprocable from an upper position (FIG. 2) to a lowered position (FIG. 3) to reduce the height of the exit after the nailheads of a group have been fed through the exit; and

drive means (17, l8, 13, 29, 28) linking the pusher and gate to cause movement of the gate to lowered position at a time after the nailheads have exitted and before the books have completely exitted, whereby the gate bars exitting of a book overlying 

1. Apparatus for feedinG stacked, generally flat sided articles having a portion of enlarged thickness and a portion of normal thickness in one dimension, comprising: a hopper for holding the articles stacked on said one dimension, the hopper having a fore wall with respect to the direction of feed and the wall having an exit at its lower end; a pusher movable to feed the lowest of the stacked articles out the exit in a group; a gate at the exit vertically reciprocable between two positions, one position opening the exit more than the dimension of enlarged thickness and another position less than the dimension of enlarged thickness but greater than the dimension of normal thickness of the article; and drive means linking the pusher and gate including timing means cooperative with the pusher after movement by the pusher of an article into the exit but before movement by the pusher of an article out of the exit to adjust the gate between the two positions while an article is in the exit, so that the gate in one position allows feed through the exit of an article portion of enlarged thickness and in the other position obstructs feed of such enlarged thickness but allows feed of the portion of normal thickness so as to bar exitting of articles overlying article portions of normal thickness.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the timing means is adjustable.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the gate includes means for adjusting its upper position.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for limiting downward movement of the gate at an open position.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means to hold the gate open in one of its adjusted positions prior to operation of the timing means.
 6. Apparatus for feeding a group of nailhead (2) books (1) from a vertical stack, comprising: a vertical hopper (6) for holding the books in a stack of more than one group, the hopper having fore (8) and rear (7) walls with respect to the direction of feed of the books from the hopper, and the fore wall having an exit 10 at its lower end, the nailheads of the books being adjacent to the fore wall and exit; a pusher (11) reciprocably moving under the rear wall periodically to engage a selected group (1A) of the lowermost books of the stack and feed the group, nailheads first, through the exit and under the gate; a sliding gate (21) at the exit vertically reciprocable from an upper position (FIG. 2) to a lowered position (FIG. 3) to reduce the height of the exit after the nailheads of a group have been fed through the exit; and drive means (17, 18, 13, 29, 28) linking the pusher and gate to cause movement of the gate to lowered position at a time after the nailheads have exitted and before the books have completely exitted, whereby the gate bars exitting of a book overlying (1B) the selected group. 